End of an era as SportsAble says a sad farewell
Disability sports charity closes down after 46 years in town
A disability sports charity based in Maidenhead has been forced to cease operations after 46 years, writes Kieran Bell.
SportsAble, in Braywick Road, announced the news via its website on Monday with ‘great sadness’, adding it has been ‘struggling’ over the past 12 months and is short on finances.
Trustees added that they are ‘incredibly proud’ of the work the charity has done for more than four decades in enabling people with disabilities to play sport and reach professional levels.
A fundraising drive was launched at the beginning of February to save SportsAble, but president John Jenkins said the campaign ‘did not achieve’ what was needed.
“You all played your part – but very sadly SportsAble has run its course,” Mr Jenkins told supporters.
Speaking to the Advertiser, he added it was important for the charity to support its members through the process and end ‘with dignity’.
Mr Jenkins added that he wanted to focus on ‘the fun, opportunities and friendships’ created.
“It is important to manage the closure with as much dignity as possible, and in the event that monies are left over, a donation will be made to another charity with similar aims to SportsAble,” Mr Jenkins said.
Launched in 1975 and then known as WAMDSAD, SportsAble offered disabled people the opportunity to participate in various sports, and provided social opportunities for members.
Its work has enabled them to advance to Paralympic levels and compete at international championships, where several medals have been won.
“Our primary concern is to try and do our best for members because their opportunities in sport are now clearly hampered,” Mr Jenkins said.
“We want to open up as many doors as we can.”
He added the charity takes ‘huge pride’ in terms of what it has achieved.
“Thousands of disabled people have been through our doors, and the club has directly benefitted their lives, enabling them to take part in sport, make new friends, and represent their country,” Mr Jenkins added.
Mr Jenkins claims the fundraising environment for charities has changed dramatically, leading to trusts being less prepared to take on ‘considerable’ overhead costs of keeping its clubhouse going.
“If we were to staff up again, our costs just rocket up. We need significant sums month on month,” Mr Jenkins said.
In the closure announcement, the charity acknowledged it has been ‘struggling with numerous problems over the last 12 months’, including an investigation by the Charity Commission into its management.
But it added: “The impact of COVID-19 cannot be ignored: on the one hand, Government grants helped to keep the charity alive through 2020, but did not prevent staff redundancies, and on the other, the almost total inability to fulfil our charitable objectives by running sports sessions or room hirings severely curtailed fundraising efforts and income generation activities.”
The president thanked the Royal Borough, which he said has supported the charity financially through various funding streams, but he said it was important for a charity to be able to ‘wash its face’ and ‘stand on its own two feet’.
“It would be very easy to say: ‘it would be great for the council to fund all our needs’, but why should they do that, and deprive another charity?” Mr Jenkins said.
“I want to focus on what we have done, the fun, opportunities, friendships, over the years.”